Vengeful Breezes
Damned Coincidence No preparation, no method, it just came through. No form, no sound, just the collision. "Pyuu." Rumble overcame the skies around a certain area of the ocean, the ground of a certain island threatened to tear itself apart as it vibrated constantly, melodies created from the sheer movement of the air. Yes, when wind moved against certain objects or when it clashed with some oppositions, it found itself molded into a song, it soared against the rocks, it pushed the plants. It crushed warriors. Even the seas that possessed no currents, no breezes, only quietness, found themselves roaring off in the distance through the motion of many waves. The same skies, which had rumbling reverbering throughout them, darkened completely, overtaken by the sheer presence and might exherted by... two people. Two people located on one of the first islands found closest to the Red Line, an island from the Calm Belt. Nearest Sea Kings grumbled, feeling the vibrations via underwater, and swam away from that specific piece of land, gritting their teeth even as they stood a fair distance. "Of all the people!!-" A voice sounded, though, oddly enough it wasn't swallowed by the explosions or wind. No, it carried out very loudly. "-It had to be ya'!!" Shooting off from the frame of the person whom yelled was a gigantic trail of wind, semi-transparent and almost like a tentacle, it branched off into many segments once met with a black object. Still, it pushed said object back many meters over the ground, splicing it open as a path was forged. The branches that were created from said clash went to slice apart the surrounding forest, scratch the nearby mountain, and erect clouds of dust, much of the destruction that this melody could compose. Such black object took the form of something akin to a guitar, shielding the form of a large man behind it. He had long blond hair and wore a tight white armor. His hair flared with the wind pressure, though, his muscles were tight and firm to wherever they stood. "Cain D. Abel!!" The voice finished, smiling as the tentacle of air dissipated, seemingly. "Have you not read the news, lad?" Abel mused, drawing back the Mabulrega with a single swipe of his left arm, something that further dispersed the air around him. A smile filled his face just like the man before him had. "The world already knows of your current status, the Former Shichibukai worth 1,090,000,000. Raven D. Sora." Sora chirpped, cleaning his forehead by moving his hand in a blurr. "D, Diiiiiii..." He shouted, shrugging with a certain intensity, "Seems more of us Ds really out here, doing just whatever we want, isn't it? Pyuu..." Through the wind blew around due to their power struggle, Sora's features were unaffected by its passage. "You though... You out of money then?" Mabulrega's blade etched into the ground below Abel, which still shook visibly. "Money? Haaah," Abel's lips curved even more upwards, a mixture of red and yellow, spikes and waves, flew around his form, "No, the Government has also offered... your seat as a Warlord." "Like I even care," Sora barked out, his expression unchanging once again. "You seem to care for more than the money, has the almighty Berserker fallen to the point he requires government protection?" "Protection?" Abel's smile widened, "We've clashed since youth, have you forgot how to read us?" A multitude of veins threatened to burst from Sora's forehead, both row of teeth clanked together and he let out a breath through their tight in-betweens. The muscles on his right arm and down tightened as he tried to clench his fist, yet couldn't, for what stood in place of his forearm and hand was purely wind. He rose it, formless, "Do you think I wanted this?!" Eyes not shifting gaze, body static, Abel tilted his head a bit, memories flooding the insides of his mind under a second. ---- 1560. Two blonds with long hair moved their limbs back and forth. Behind them were a few guards, dressed in traditional robes, wielding katanas, and running. Many people looked at the commotion, though they only saw yellow blurrs passing by. "Give those beefs back!!" A guard shouted, waving her katana around. "Hell no," the blond with straighter hair yelled. "This is ours by right!" "We are the ones who hunt it!" The one with wild hair said. "Not the restaurant!!" They both looked back at the guards and laughed. Facing forward, they were not met with the road ahead. The two blonds crashed into someone, breath knocked out of their lungs they fell backwards. "Don't worry," The person in front of them said to the guards, pointing his fingers at the boys, "I will take care of them, pyuu." "Ah, Sora-san!" Another guard uttered, both coming to a halt and sheathing their weapons swiftly. "There is nothing to worry about then," the woman said and the guards turned around, walking off. They waved mindlessly and Sora responded with one of his own. The blonds swallowed dryly, teeth flashing as they froze in Sora's presence. "Cain," Sora looked at the wavy haired, "Abel." Then the wild one. "You two got in trouble again." Sora, aged 21. Cain, Abel, aged 16. This was the land of Wano, by the region of Fukushima, a part of the archipelago known for its mountain ranges, many could be seen in the background, snow atop their peaks. "Sora-san..." Cain began, waving both his hands around, while a bead of sweat went down his face. "We are honestly sorry-" "Hell nah, we ain't," Abel interrupted, frowning and crossing his arms, Cain widened his eyes and turned to Abel, trying to say something. Abel clasped one hand against Cain's mouth, "Nuh-uh, you know damn well we taking what's ours." Their attention went back to Sora once they heard him chuckling. He commented, "The police has been complaining about you two, pyuu." Their gazes dropped. "So I have to look like I'm fighting you two..." They both grasped the sides of their heads. Sora's hand was still flesh then, he moved his arm in order to grasp his sheathed katana. The two boys put down the food package and readied themselves. Sora didn't hesitate to make the first strike against Cain and Abel. With his right foot, he stepped forward into their range instantly. At the same time he performed the step, he drew his sword at virtually instantaneous speeds. The movement of his body in tandem with drawing the blade enabled the movement to be empowered to incredible degrees. He carried the force of the wind with him as a gust preceded the blade that would proceed to attempt to slash Abel's midriff. At the point when the slash would follow through, regardless of Abel's response, and Abel was overwhelmed by the gust that followed through with the simple maneuver, Sora's sword pointed forwards towards the villagers that stood watching the battle. Unwilling to be labeled a fake, Sora pulled back his sword the instant that Cain would no doubt attempt to target his weakness. The speed of his maneuver was such that the gust he pushed forward while attacking Abel was caught on the hilt of his sword and pulled backwards. The gust had launched prior to Sora's actual strike, forcing Cain's advance to be interrupted by the wall of wind that had passed between the two combatants. Even before Cain could re-orient himself, Sora's blade had almost reached the arm in which Cain held his mace, aiming to cut through a tendon and temporarily rid him the joy of wielding his mace. Abel and Cain instantly learned just why it was that Sora got the name of Wind Spirit in the lands of Wano, Abel himself stood motionless, only shielding himself with his arms for a brief moment. He clicked his teeth, hair and clothes flaring along the pushing wind, but then, it was Cain who suffered this fate instead, with his eyes and mouth distorting as he stood without protection. Both their clothes had fluttered open, revealing a pair of large, white and feathered wings nestled upon their backs. But, it was the very fact that Cain held no protection which allowed him to be pushed back more than Abel was in the brief moment he was hit by the wind, permitting for him to narrowly avoid Sora's slash on his arm. Sora hadn't just attacked the both of them, he managed to counter-attack a move that had yet to happen and properly diverge his true attack? "It must be his Haki!!" Cain thought. "Feel it... the melody of his blade..." He closed his eyes briefly. Abel frowned, teeth flashing against the wind, his brother of all people knew that this kind of insistence was not proper to fight off Sora. There was no doubt he was one of the purest swordsmen around, trained as Cain was with his mace, Abel pondered on retreating. Hands wrapped on the hilt of the Mabulrega and eyes finally open, Cain rose his shoulder blades and drew his hands backwards, pointing the mace's head at Sora's form. Using both his feet to jump, the ground cracked, and pushing his arms forward at the same time, "HAH!!" Cain dawned upon Sora's position, keen on smashing the mace's head against him in a frontal thrust. Surely, with the weight it held and the way he attacked, Cain knew that Sora's blade could shatter should any collision happen, the Mabulrega was both firm and held sharp shapes. "You won't catch the wind by charging forward, pyuu." Sora lectured Cain, looking towards the humongous mace that sought to crush him. With minimal effort, Sora had stepped towards his right side, while holding the blade, edge pointing towards Sora, and its tip facing the ground. It was an unusual position that compromised his defense, but he only maintained it for an instant. As Cain brought Mabulrega towards his location, Sora deftly twisted the blade so that the edge was on the side facing the mace. While the maneuver wasn't particularly impressive in and of itself, the result of that maneuver would catch Cain by surprise. The deft spin, guided by the sharp movement of his shoulders, hips and wrist, would bring forth another gust of wind surrounding the blade. Cain would find that his initial attempt at destroying Sora's blade failed, for the speed and power of the wind brought forth repelled the mace almost completely. The next moment, Sora brought his blade upwards into a horizontal position, and stepped inside Cain's range once more. He swung his blade with the intent of it slashing off Cain's head, but before it could do so, Sora looked deep into Cain's eyes, and peered downward. It was an indication of some sort, but what that indication told was something that had to be communicated through their thoughts. "GHHHHHHH- WHAT?!!" Cain's mouth twisted open once the wave of air crashed over him, swatting not only his body, but the very weapon he held with seeming ease. He coughed harshly and closed his eyes tightly. The Mabulrega deflected and flung into the ground instead, provoking an erratic line of a shockwave to travel through the street and into a house. However, neither crumbled, merely shook, after all the Mabulrega seemed to bounce off the soil. Taking that opportunity, Cain used the momentum of the bounce by pulling the Mabulrega with both his tightened fists, keen on intercepting Sora, who had just re-entered his range. "Huh," The air shot out of Cain's mouth and his eyes widened upon meeting with Sora's own, something that delayed the pull on his weapon, "What?!". Still, the weapon's weight was thrown towards Sora, so even if he ended up reaching Cain, it was possible he would be struck himself and smacked away through the distance. A fool, Cain was a fool. Abel had gritted his teeth and jumped towards the both of them while holding a club, it was made of wood and was surrounded in his own Haki, yes of course he knew it. He blinked, when had he gotten there? Abel swallowed dryly, it had happened again, about three colors surfaced from his jumping form and flared along his wild hair. "Back off." The spirits grew restless. Abel unbent his elbows and pressed his hands downards, bringing down the wooden club directly against Sora's hand that executed the sword strike. "Why am I doing this?!" Sora was briefly astonished at the sudden movement of Abel. He was normally the passive one, and yet he moved such aggression that Sora nearly mistook him for Cain. "Tch." Sora was in the middle of attacking Cain, so he couldn't move his arm as precisely as he'd like. Grunting, he clad his skin in a dense Busoshoku Haki, much like Abel did himself. At the moment of Abel's strike, the impact between both sources of Haki overwhelmed the small streets they were in. The pressure was immeasurable, and the air itself weighed down on those that surrounded Sora and Abel. Suddenly, the sky shattered like glass... Cain D. Abel and Raven D. Sora had returned to the present, locking eyes with one another and taking on defensive stances, waiting for each other's moves. "I remember very well, lad... I have seen it more than once why you'd not want that condition of yours," Abel uttered out to Sora, drawing back his right and left arms, whose hands held the Mabulrega, but then his left arm rose out and pointed forward, palm stretched. "It is amazing how many parts of me hold you in some regard." Even before attaining the position of a Warlord, one to interact with the world, Sora had passed through the lives of many. For a moment, the aura that surrounded Abel went from its wavy yellow to a leaking purple, as if the sun stood behind him, his body acquired shades. His smiled widened without showing his teeth, "I'm sure that the name Kozuki... may ring something." A hand rose to cup his face, but quickly fell. Abel stretched his fingers wildly, "It's been a while... but the two bitches are asleep, who's here is... the King." He held out his arms wide and closed his fists. "The one that wished for Wano... Yaokororororo!" A wave of pressure, further, of presence and will came forth from Abel's firm frame, grass, dirt, plant life, bowing was too much of a simple action for them to take, they were forced downwards. Ah, yes, his will, in this body and when aligned to that soul, using the Haki of Kings was very much possible, then again, his status as the true heir of Wano surely gave him points. He let the breath inside his lungs out, prompting his muscles to budge through his white armor and provoke a small crater below him. Sparks and cracks made of the deepest of blacks travelled through everything, ripping the ground apart, crackling the air all around, they were followed by the complete surgence of a blue wave. Blue washed over whatever that black lightning passed through, darkening the very skies that surrounded the calm belt once again. "You..! Bastard..." Sora's eyes tinted a bright red. There was no glamour in his movement, nor any indication of his presence changing. One could however, see the quality of a king in his power, posture, and his eyes. He looked down upon the world from the vacant throne in the sky, and everything that dared to stand in his way was merely blown away by the wind. Indeed, his color of Kings did not manifest an aura that sought for others to bow before him. This particular King did not see the need for such a farce. All that stood in his way, whether it be the ground, plants, to other Haki itself, were struck with such an enormous force that everything was repulsed, almost as if gravity itself willed it be eliminated. Within that category was Abel's Haki. Nonetheless, it was a formidable opponent, and within their violent collision of wills, a mighty storm brewed within the Calm Belt. Its inhabitants began to run away in fear of what was to transpire, as the heavens split apart, signaling that their duel surpassed the limits of humanity. Sora had stared down, Abel had stared up, they both glared at each other, eyes red and keen on piercing whatever else they laid upon. Their wills rippled with one another and shockwaves reverberated everywhere, their blinding light visible from very afar, blue mixing with green and creating fireworks all around the island. No wonder... it had been no wonder that Sora had escaped that hell of a holy land, with so many agents and officers up there, though, this shouldn't be any surprise. With a final struggle and push, their auras ceased to exist, allowing for a final gust of wind to come forth. However, before it hit or passed through Abel, it had been torn in half, almost like a cloth made from the thinnest materials, he smiled. The first note of the play was already laid out, even before they had used thei Haki of Kings, it was only a matter of whom got the following note. Fast and decisive were but two words to summarize Sora, yet, he couldn't let it hold him down. Left hand forward and right backwards, Abel had lunged forward in the form of a distoring white image, several air rings exploded from the trajectory of his leap, towering even the trees, as he had pierced right through the final wind barrier. His right hand clutched the handle of the Mabulrega, his muscles bursting forth from his armor, with a twist of his wrist the Mabulrega rotated into itself, provoking a twirl of wind around it. While he favoured its bladed swings at that current moment, all of Abel's wills shared part of their experience with wielding their particular styles, and Abel's smile widened even further with this one, memories of his enemies almost ceasing to exist when hit. A layer of Haki adorned the weapon, blazing it before it acquired a dark texture, it created even a spark of black as it appeared, this spark went along the swirling of winds. Under the span of a breath or, even, of a breeze passing by, Abel was keen on closing the distance between him and his opponent, but not completely. What finalized the proccess was the roaring Mabulrega, louder than any storm or current that Sora had summoned beforehand. Abel clutched the handle once again, halting its physical spin in another shockwave, and pressed it forth, while wind raged around it, "JUDITH!!" He yelled, mouth wide open, and aimed for Sora's torso, a direct blow such as this making use of his momentum and weight, the weapon's size and its rotation. Abel more than knew of Sora's particular defense, evident due to their earlier clashings, therefore by spinning the Mabulrega, he sought on creating a movement chaotic enough to twist and breach it to reach Sora. Plus, as fearsome as that defense was, it brought along something that Abel deemed to be a weakness, at times, it was likely to have Sora not dodge some of the blows incoming for him. Whether it happened or not this time, Abel readied his Kenbunshoku. "You haven't changed at all, have you?" Sora thought to himself. His eyes glistened a bright red as he stared directly at Abel, who was charging in with a threatening blow. Rather than dodge, he chose to stand still. However, the wind began to change its course once more, and this time, it was not the product of Abel's tremendous strength. With his left hand, now coated in a pitch black veil of Busoshoku Haki, he pointed towards the direction of the incoming Abel. Rather than actually perform an offensive action, Sora instead merely twirled his finger anti-clockwise, in the opposite direction of Abel's Mabulrega. In virtually an instant, the roaring winds from the surroundings became mute. They had all become one with Sora's actions, and began to coil themselves into a barrier of wind. The barrier initially was formed as a circle, and clashed with Mabulrega fiercely. The power of Abel's Haki should have ripped through the barrier effortlessly, but Sora could only grin slightly. As Abel stared at the barrier's strength, perplexed, Sora merely chuckled. "Don't underestimate my Busoshoku Haki, Pyuu." It was a shocking sight to see, but the black ink that had covered Sora's hand had traveled to the rotating shield of wind, reinforcing it with incredible strength. Not to mention, wind continued to flow into the shield from all directions, causing the black ink to spread outwards, and transforming the shield of wind into a black sphere that completely disintegrated everything that approached it. That was the power that Sora's Haki, and his Wind ACE had provided him after all these years. No longer could he rely on a weapon. Instead, he maintained a safe distance, and destroyed everything that sought to oppose him. Rather than continuing to clash with Abel's Mabulrega directly, Sora instead pushed the sphere forward, causing the sphere to try and envelop Abel, while still retaining the enormous power of Sora's Busoshoku Haki. All the while, Sora stood still, gathering even more wind in the palm of his hand and preparing for his next move. "You have always been smart, pyuu." Sora told his adversary, "But you have one critical flaw in you...Instead of seeing the future, you always try to decide it, and that's what leads to your failures...Cain." The world shook once again, victim of their clashing yet again, everything got brightened due to the flash provoked by the contact point of their "attacks". Sparks traversed land and air, ripping all of it open, much like the world begged for it to stop, the atmosphere darkened despite the immense flash. A final risp from either of them, white overcame black, both Abel and the Mabulrega recoiled backwards at the tremenduous clash, though, most of the wind that surrounded it had been gone. His feet slided against the soil, sending large chunks of rock flying. Flow, it should have been no surprise that, by becoming the wind, Sora had further grasped the concept of flow and concentration, allowing him to so easily manipulate either his spirt and his body. Swordsmen were already beasts when it came to honing the use of their Haki, by gaining such a power, it was like his creed increased through exponential levels. Yet... Sora had wielded no sword. He didn't dodge, he didn't deflect it. He performed no particular strike at Abel either, but- Abel...? Abel... Memories came and gone into his mind, while his body tensed against the ever-expanding wind, so dark that he could barely see through it and glare at Sora. Still, his eyes stared where Sora supposedly stood, never leaving him. "GHHHHHH!!" He grunted with swollen cheeks, face and body smashed in, the Mabulrega almost flying out of his grip. Everything had been clear, more of his memories with Sora also flooded his mind, memories with his brother as well. "This is new..." "That man's strike must have surpressed this." "Ain't time for us to ponder over it...!!" No blue aura came through, the other colors stood silent, still enveloping Abel's body as he gritted his teeth. As all of those subjects dwelled within Abel's mind, the only thing that left his mouth was, "I don't remember this... this choice of yours, you're not... you're not the Wind Spirit!! And I... I... Cain?!" No, that was not simply it. "Ansem... Ansem D.?!" His teeth clacked even harder than before, veins appearing throughout his frame. Another twist of his wrist and the Mabulrega regained all of its previous momentum, wind danced around it like a typhoon upon the ocean, even the nearby rocks levitated in its wake. Sparks exploded from it again, taking a larger form, a louder presence, the atmosphere blackened without the both of them clashing, only by Abel's lonesome. Abel's hair flared, both his legs shot him from where he stood and towards Sora once again, the passage of his body breaking apart the scenario and pushing away all of the debris that the rotation held. Facing the wind wall, Abel pressed the Mabulrega onwards, stopping its physical rotation another time, "JU-DI-TH!!!" His spirit roared grander than the typhoon and sparks did, seeking to not only pierce through the wind barrier, but reach Sora's physical form finally. "What's happening..? Did Cain not-!" Sora began to think in his mind before suddenly feeling an overwhelming pressure come from within the orb of wind he created. Cracks began to seep through the black wind, and Sora immediately realized what the problem was. He accelerated his plans, and the orb of wind that was gathering in his palm had become a pitch black once more. It took him barely an instant, but he reached the same place that Abel did. Attacking close range against an opponent like Abel would normally be considered suicide for someone of Sora's frame. However, Sora was already well-versed in how to battle opponents of greater physical strength. Not withstanding, his fruit enabled him to enhance his own control over his opponent's power to overwhelming magnitude. His red eyes perceived through the exact amount of power that Abel put into his attack, and with his sovereignty over the wind, he clashed against Abel's attack directly with the sphere of wind in his hand. It was a clash of tremendous proportions, causing the ground beneath them to tumble and the oceans themselves to cower in fear. Yet that impact only lasted an instant. By using a counter-rotation to Abel's once more, this time at close range, not only did he manage to deflect Abel's attack, but canceled its residual momentum. In doing so, both combatants were struck with an immense recoil from the sudden dissipation of kinetic energy, and were blown aback by the recoil. Although Sora was blown back, by forcing his body to transform into wind at the last moment, he avoided most of the damage. That said, it did take him a small amount of time to recover, but at that point, he had stood where the clash had occurred. While awaiting for Abel to stand amidst the rubble and smoke, Sora responded to the man, who he had previously referred to as Cain. "You abandoned the name Cain? Then of course you understand, pyuu." Sora paused, before pulling up the sleeve of his right arm. "I abandoned the name "Wind Spirit" a long time ago." It was an empty arm. Nothing lived there except the air. There was no wound, no sign of amputation...merely a husk. Just how did Raven D. Sora, one of this world's most gifted swordsman, wound up in a state where he could no longer use the blade? Eyes wide, Abel was overwhelmed by the ending flash of their clash, of course it only lasted a few moments, he should have known. Wind exploded everywhere, "GHHHHH!!" Abel grunted out yet again, his teeth clicking loudly while his body flew backwards, a mixture of saliva and blood shot out of his mouth briefly, his muscles smashed against. It hadn't just been the power of his own strike, but Sora's added. Once his feet met the ground, they ripped it apart and rose columns of dust, flinging the Mabulrega at the ground, Abel etched it there and slowed down his own movements. Though Abel was ready to use his weapon, what Sora threw at him were words rather than wind. "...I've never abandoned what I didn't ever have!!" He spat back, eyebrows high and veins visible on his forehead. "But, you? To abandon the name of the Wind Spirit... no, not just the name, you abandoned the very path of the sword!!" "...You've experienced much of the New World, yet you're telling me you think this arm is my choice?" Sora's own brows began to be furrowed with anger. "You're right. You aren't Ansem D. Cain. You're Cain D. Abel, the fool who can't see the truth right in front of him." Sora began to walk towards Abel, fearless of any repercussion. "Why are we fighting, pyuu? Are you trying to prove something to yourself? Is it that arrogant old man inside of you? Or do you have nothing better to do?" Sora may have been completely exposed, yet his guard was locked onto Abel. If he made even a single move, the wind in the air would begin to suffocate and lacerate him within moments. Abel likely would sense it; a man as infamous as Raven D. Sora would never let his guard down against a man of equal caliber, even if he was trying to talk. Unfortunate "Instead of fighting me, would you like to hear the truth? Of both your world...and of mine." Ansem D. Cain or Ansem D. Abel... or Cain D. Abel. Abel's silence at Sora's words only indicated one thing. He properly glared at the arm that Sora rose, red flashing from his pupils as his vision sank deeper and deeper. "The same question as before... are you not a Logia?" Abel tried, his eyes squinting while the inwards of his eyebrows lowered, his fingers stretched out and let the Mabulrega fall upon the soil, creating a miniature explosion of dust. Much like Sora did, Abel walked towards him, his arms going back and forth with their fists clenched. Whereas purple commanded earlier, both yellow and red surfaced around him. "We have many motives," Abel crossed his arms, "but, we want to hear you... like I said, we consider you highly." Legs straight, muscles expanded, Abel seemed not to take any notion of movement, yet his eyes didn't leave Sora's frame for any moment. Sora stopped moving as Abel asked him those powerful questions. He did not let down his guard, but he remembered times of mere pain and suffering. "I am not a Logia...in the traditional sense." Sora raised his absent right arm, and pointed it towards Abel. "You told me I abandoned the path of the sword. That is not true. I was cut away from it." Sora's eyes lit on fire, almost as if an anger sparked within him. "My name is Raven D. Sora...the "Red Wind" and the first successful experiment of the ACE program." The wind roared, though it did not make its way to Abel, but merely reflected the anger in Sora's voice. "I am the one who lead the way for artificial Logia to be born in this world...and because of this sin, the fruit took my arm away." Both Abel's eyes and mouth widened at the mention of Sora's powers, those of the ACE. Logia, but not Logia. "ACE?!" He yelled out, this was... "That artificial fruit?" His eyes landed over Sora's missing arm, from what he had known, artificial fruits tended to bring out many kinds of side effects, way beyond simply becoming a hammer at the sea. "I can't even question you on accepting it, as the first proper experiment, weaknesses were not known..." His eyes trembled a bit, Abel breathed in and out. "Accepting it?" Sora's eyes simmered down, but a laughter was let loose from his lips. "Pyuhuhuhu. You're naive, Cain." Sora sighed, looking up to the sky. "It was a...deal. In exchange for assisting the Marine forces in replacing their former Vice Admiral Charmers Dion in taking back Wano Country from Daddy L. Legs, they forced me to be the first experiment for their artificial Logia plan." Sora looked back at Abel. "Their intent was to create an army of super soldiers that could snipe Wano from afar, before sending in Marines to fight the elites of the Black Widow Pirates. I was chief among their plans. Of course...that's all gone to the wind now, hasn't it?" "A deal..." Abel mused, his lips moving slowly. "I do wonder how much the balance of fairness was shifted in this deal." For a few moments, his eyes were partially covered by his hair, while his whispers went by through the wind. "I know that, out of all people, you have never pondered on what you would gain too much, what would be your benefit..." A small breath passed by Abel's mouth alongside his words. Suddenly, his eyes were visible again, "But, you are right, it's all gone now, your purpose lies elsewhere." "My purpose lies in letting my ashes float to the wind. But before that, I will envelop everything in a storm." Sora stated, as wind began to gather around his body once more. "Before we finish this battle, let me give you one lesson, Cain...no, Adaemon-san." Sora stared right through the figure of Abel and spoke to the soul of Adaemon as he spoke these next words. "My father, Karasu Hizashi, had always said that a Samurai's prerogative has never been to sacrifice their lives for their Lord...Their sole duty is to wield their sword to vanquish their enemies during war, and then vanquish during peace." The echo-like voice disappeared from Abel's ears. "I will be committing a sin by my father as I leave from this world while it remains in chaos..." Sora then chuckled again, "Pyuhuhuhu. I suppose I am finally a true Pirate." The moment that Adaemon's name had been spoken, Abel's eyes widened and his figure was zoomed in, giving way to completely different eyes and dark hair. The irises and pupils of his eyes twisted around, his breathing almost caged inside his chest, he closed his eyes. That name... "You follow your own ideals, Red Wind, don't even ponder on how much your father is rolling." The others within directed their eyes towards Adaemon's figure, littered in sweat. When the name settled in through their minds as well, their stares left him and looked on ahead. Even as they did so, they also tried to take one step forward, one step into command, all at the same moment. Yet... other steps sounded in their ears, totalling many, while they had just taken one, eyes wide, they turned around to see. But, there was nothing. They blinked and looked onwards again, the path had been blocked. Abel's eyes opened slowly, revealing their usual green tone, his arms rose and crossed, his posture straight, yet, it didn't look to be tense, ready to strike. The grass and plants, the ocean, the wind, the world hadn't shook, it merely seemed to pause for a few moments, silent and watching Abel with as much attention as it could. No further steps needed be taken. The world prepared itself to produce noise and life once again, however... Abel's lips moved. "Sora-san, right?" "...Ah." Sora's eyes calmed down when he met those green eyes again. In this world that had long since breezed past him, there was a single man whose familiarity calmed Sora's rage. "Ansem D. Cain...there you are. It's been a long time...Are you...okay?" Finally, the wind passed against Abel's frame, pushing his hair in that direction. He smiled. "You're one of the few people to ask that in these situations... whatever Adaemon said, he learned from me. You truly are who you are." Nothing but his head appeared to move as he spoke. "We have gone and chased you down here, instead of running away you stood and fought... Forget what Adaemon says, he doesn't fully know your ideals." "Pyuhuhuhu." Sora couldn't help but laugh. "I'm not sure how you deal with that old man in your mind...but I suppose you have always had your ways." Sora stood straight and faced Cain. "Both you and I are very stubborn people. I should be the one to follow the wind...but I have chosen to circle around you like a storm." His eyes began to brighten with a tinge of red, "Should we finish what we left off all those years ago, Cain? Make sure... you include your brother too." "Ah..." Abel nodded, his lips acquired a more flattened form in contrast to his smile. "I must agree with you there." He looked at Sora without blinking. "However, he has been asleep- this, this remains between us." The floating Mabulrega, it hadn't been too close to them, and Abel's form both disappeared under a flicker, like a transmission being turned off and without any visible movement. Even as nothing else moved, nothing could be seen, the wind hadn't budged as it would under the influence of motion, not even dust rose due to Abel's form suddenly missing. While many saw might in affecting the environment and exhibiting their power, there were those who went further beyond, to control their strength. Not only could he focus the might of his attacks, by extension, their true intention could be somewhat hidden and only be read as just that, an attack. Another flicker, another note of his quiet song. A quiet song? Yes, one that couldn't be heard, but still went on. Although his attack was masked, it could still be predicted, therefore, he relied greatly on the absurd speed and quickness of his movements. Abel's form appeared from behind Sora, his arms had been extended and his muscles budged greatly as evident by their many visible veins, their hands tightly grasped the Mabulrega. Spirit burst into existence and surrounded the weapon, provoking some black sparks to fly off it. It had already been drawed backwards, thus, the procedure was simple, one note at a time, yet no break between them. Left foot forward, the other behind, Abel swung his torso and his arms from right to left, bringing the Mabulrega along in a horizontal fashion on the level of Sora's chest. Once he did so, the ground beneath his left foot exploded off, many cracks spreading along its entirety. Though Haki adorned the Mabulrega, what birthed from such a swing was complete white, a large stream that ripped apart the atmosphere in front of it without an inch of resistance and sought on making direct contact against Sora's barrier, so that it, too, would fall prey and crumble. "JULIA!" Sora intrinsically understood the nature of Cain's move the moment he disappeared from his sight. No sensory power could perceive through Cain's movement, but Sora refused to waste the time. He could appear from any angle at any instant and Sora had to prepare himself adequately. The wind immediately surrounding Sora, without warning, rapidly increased in intensity and speed, to the point where even Cain's supernatural movements could be read to a small degree. There was resistance between the extreme air pressure created by Sora and the movements of Cain, which enabled someone as masterful to see through the slight imperfections in his pseudo wind barrier. However, this was not the purpose for creating so much wind. It was not a superfluous move intended to lure out Cain. In fact, Sora was barely paying any attention to how he was moving. Instead, he clenched his single fist and tightened his muscles drastically. Cain was aiming towards his right side, perhaps as a way to challenge Sora's former swordsmanship. Unfortunately, Sora could not respond in kind. Yet there was something else he held dearly as a Samurai, and that would show now. His entire being, covered in his blackened spirit, was soon surrounded by cyclonic winds that grew even more dense as Cain's attack began to approach him at titanic speeds. Yet, no matter what, the wind was faster. Just as Cain's attack approached Sora, it came into contact with winds far denser than the original barrier of wind that spiraled around Sora, and a mere whisper left his lips. "Furyuken: Hagoromo, pyuu." Without warning, a massive dust explosion localized between the two colliding spirits occurred. Everything within the immediate area of Cain and Sora had been extinguished. All that was left was their two great powers in direct collision with each other. As the dust faded away, one could see exactly what Sora had prepared in response to Cain's attack. The pride of a Samurai, second only to their blade...their armor. With his exceptional skills in wielding his ACE, Sora had managed to, in merely moments, create an intricate set of armor around every inch of his armor with extremely compressed and tightly rotating winds, which vibrated to such a degree that the clash against Mabulrega felt more like the collision between two equal blades. This was especially true surrounding the area of Sora's missing right arm, in which the wind was particularly concentrated on its exterior in order to directly contest against Mabulrega's enormous strength. "...You really intend on bringing out the "Wind Spirit" to life don't you?" A flash of anger left Sora's lips, as he stood still while standing against the power of the Mabulrega. Of course, he couldn't do so for much longer, but before he performed his next move, he wished to hear what Cain had to say. "Are you doing all this...so you can see my sword one more time before I die, Cain?" Regardless of skill, Sora posed himself with more power than ever, there was no shed of doubt about that, and it wasn't solely because of his acquirement of that Devil Fruit. Saying that would be an insult. Their power roared out against one another, even higher than it had beforehand, darkening and pushing away the scenery through black sparks. Sora used his missing arm, substitued by the overwhelming wind he produced, but why would he even try that and not use a safer body part? Their faces were illuminated by the contact point of their clash, Abel soundly responded Sora. "Are you implying I'm out to kill you, Sora-san?" A smirk appeared over his lip, though, it exhibited a feeling different than usual, he pressed on with the Mabulrega, causing even the ground beneath them to explode. "I want to remind you of whom you are, whom you truly are," Abel took steps in order to increase the pressure he leaked over Sora, pressing the weapon with both hands, "People do die if they are forgotten, but, the last to forget them... are themselves!!" "...You are stubborn." Sora raised his left index finger into the sky, and within an instant, the armor surrounding Sora, that had protected him from the overwhelming assault of Abel, had seemingly disappeared. The world had been drowned black as the armor transformed into a vortex of wind so powerful that the momentum it built from being compressed as armor caused it to fling Abel's weapon, and his body, away from Sora. "Fine...I'll show you just how powerful the "Wind Spirit" was. The man who repeatedly forced Ansem D. Cain and Abel to hide in their youth...and the sole man the World Government trusted to take back Wano Country..." The pressure around the air appeared to change. It felt as if gravity itself forced everything to be expunged from the air surrounding Sora. All impurities, all particles, were seemingly discarded away with none other than the enormous strength held by Sora's color of Kings. Sora quietly spoke the following words. "Furyuken Ogi: Tokaze Iwatsumi." The world fell into silence. The storm that surrounded the island had seemingly dissipated. No...it was more than that. The air that even the two combatants were breathing seemed to escape from them. It all traveled to a single place...its rightful place, in the grip of Sora's left hand. If Abel looked carefully, the pose that Sora was making was reminiscent of how he would grab a sword. Within the opening left by his hands, the air began to compress itself, further and further, and form in concentric rings. One after the other. Rings of hyper-compressed, pressurized air were unveiling a peculiar shape. The process was surprisingly slow. Yet, for some reason, Cain wouldn't help but stare in admiration. Without a single word, Sora had commanded the entire world to look at this breathtaking spectacle. Seconds continued to pass, and finally the world had noise bring life back into it. The noise came from the newfound blade of air being held in Sora's hands. Within every micrometer of the blade was a hyper-rotation of wind. It had cut through everything that surrounded it, and even Sora himself could not touch it physically due to the amount of cutting power it held from the hilt to its blade. He allowed it to float in front of him, the blade facing the ground. "...To think I would take my father's ultimate technique and turn it into something like this..." Sora grunted. "...Be careful, Cain...if you do not use all of your power...this blade could truly kill you." Were there even words for this? A single one? A full sentence? Rather than dwell on it, "...Fantastic," Abel spoke out, eyes and mouth both wide, every single inch of his body, from every angle, could feel the pressure exerted by the Wind Spirit. Of course, he and the world couldn't help but stay frozen in such presence, his lips formed themselves into a wide smile, hands tight into fists, eyes filled with color. The final piece of the spectacle, the Requiem to Karasu Hizashi. Many sensations had coursed through his body, it remembered fights, conflicts, all of that kind, his very aura exploded around him without a need for any command on it doing so. It sipped from his skin and enveloped it tightly, though, it moved as quietly as a blanket, following along the movements of his body, which had been affected by the intense shifts of wind. With Sora's own strength, his strength alone, the entire scenery had darkened in appearance, even with his Haoshoku being used just beforehand, even without them clashing, everything steered in the opposite direction to where the blade stood. Standing there with his body firm after the other attack, alone but not alone, was Abel, rather, Cain. The boy who would hide so often when standing before this opponent. Abel clenched the Mabulrega's handle even more, making his veins almost burst through his skin, and pointed it at Sora. The Haki covering the weapon intensifying as it oozed onto its insides in any way it could, creating a spherical shockwave from it, though, that didn't go far, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Surrounding the Mabulrega was several sparks of pure aura, accompanied by the several colors brought forth by the Isho Isho no Mi, trails, spikes, waves, flames, the latter was the most prominent. During that moment, the wind that was pushing over everywhere seemed to be incapable of touching him and the Mabulrega, circling around them instead. "The moment that you used it!!-" Abel's eyes shot open. "-It became YOUR technique." He pointed at Sora with his free hand, generating a brief gust, and drew the Mabulrega backwards for a second. "You!! The Red Wind, the Wind Spirit, Raven D. Sora... No, Sora!!" Even his legs' muscles were bursting through. Sora did not dare say another word. The world was at its limit holding these two back. Pointing his index finger towards Abel's heart, the blade's pointed end followed in suit. "Fire." Sora commanded. Every single bit of strength that the blade had accumulated was fired off towards Abel's heart. The sheer rotational power meant the sound expelled from its movement surpassed that of a fleet of cannons. It could be compared to the march of an entire army. And that was not all. Abel did not hold back with his Mabulrega. At the moment of their clash, the world exploded. It was not a screech of pain. Rather, it was the applause of the masses. To be able to summon such power, and clash against one another in a battle of equals. It was truly stupendous. The trees, the rocks, the ground, all began to wither away as the explosion of spirit and rotating wind began to combine. What felt like a supernatural energy began to release from the two monsters clashing. It was a pure white, and it erased everything in its path. Its power was not merely limited to the island itself. It moved even further beyond. Perhaps the entirety of the New World could feel it instinctively. This was a clash meant for the history books itself, and that point was further emphasized by the nearby ocean itself evaporating. Shockwaves reached nearby islands, and the subsequent earthquakes and tidal waves caused the entire oceanic zone to become an extreme crisis for those who lived here. ---- A few minutes had passed. While the aftereffects of the clash still ran rampant, the epicenter had finally began to settle down. Just what happened to the two combatants who surpassed human understanding? While nobody would know the truth...all the spectating Marines would see was the silhouette of Raven D. Sora, floating through the sky, and the body of Cain D. Abel, unconscious on the completely barren island. Was it possible...that Cain D. Abel was utterly defeated by the "Red Wind"!? Vengeful Breezes Moonlight and darkness washed over the Holy Land of Mary Geoise. Many of its streets were also illuminated by the intricate light lamps, some were etched into the very ground, while others stood atop lamp posts. Nobles traversed freely through the almost infinite paths, not wearing the bubbles they were usually seen with, and accompanied by one another. Wind blew lightly by them, common to the cold night. The city's buildings had some shades over them, given the positioning of the light sources. Parties, movie sessions, dinners, all kinds of outs took place at the same timeframe, the cinemas had large spotlight that moved around and illuminated the clouds that made their way so high. These lights meshed in with the very moonlight. Around the center of the Holy Land was a humongous building, comparable in size to a whole island, it was littered with doors, windows, their sizes varied immensely. The windows fluttered open, and the wind hissed louder. Clanks resonated through the land, the ground itself opened and gigantic dark walls erected from within it, blocking off the large building from the rest of Mary Geoise. Masses of white and green flew together and crashed against them, illuminating the whole place and sending waves of wind everywhere. While seastone wasn't capable of diminishing some powers, its composition was still condensed and fierce enough to withstand ones oriented to destruction. Therefore, the extension of Raven D. Sora's windy body almost bounced off the walls, even more shockwaves filled the whole area, he clicked his teeth for a second and stared at the immense walls that surrounded the castle. "SOMEONE HAS ACTIVATED THE DEVIL FRUIT DEFENSE SYSTEM!!" An agent of the government yelled from atop the walls, having failed to notice its sudden surge. More explosions sounded in the distance, prompting every agent to brace themselves by holding their arms in front of their bodies. After the explosions, there were sirens, they ressonated all throughout the Holy Land. Mary Geoise entered its state of alert. ---- Minotrose coughed, he was a man wearing a white suit and cape, as well as a large turbant-like hat. He had golden earrings with the letter "T". Member of the CP-0, he was amongst the many to guard the Pangaea Castle. Walking alongside him was Artleia, another of the same unit, dressed just like him, but without the cape. "Can't believe a pirate was so easily accepted..." She hissed almost silently, she and Minotrose stood much ahead of Raven D. Sora. Sora walked firmly, his eyes closed as he followed them. "He is a Warlord, Art. There is nothing to question here," Minotrose uttered, gaze only ahead into the halls of Pangaea. "Meh," Artleia responded. Sora's eyes opened for a brief moment, their eyes widened as a crushing wave seemed to press over their bodies, but, it was soon gone. They almost glanced back at him, though, through their mind's eyes, while their physical ones flared in a tone of red. What they only saw was a whisper, yes, saw something to be heard, they prepared to turn around. Before further thought could be given, the trio arrived to a large door, where loud chatter could be heard even without incredible senses. With a push from Artleia and Minotrose, the doors were opened and a blinding light set over them and Sora, though, only the CP-0 closed their eyes briefly. In that very moment, they both turned back and Sora wasn't there anymore, rather, he was already inside the large room. Therein, an incredible quantity of government workers were indulging themselves in a banquet and discussions. Artleia and Minotrose stood by the place's entrance, their eyes dead set over Sora. "Sora-san!" One elderly worker said out loud, gesturing for Sora to approach the large table, a large cigar stood between his teeth. "Eh so good that ye came, hehehe!" This was Amir Abbas, another member of the Cipher Pol 0, though, even higher than the previous two, evident by the emblems fixed on his suit. Amidst the room were many other Cipher Pol agents. "......" Sora remained silent, not even the winds of the outside reaching into the room. How odd, given the presence of these two, himself and the world-wide assassin "Nanpu", whose identity very few knew. "I suppose ye know why we called for ye," Abbas said, smile wide. "We plannin' another invasion at that old hag's empire! She'll never see it comin', I heard their defenses not that good. Think of it, all tha Yonko're so busy with one another, NAHAHAHA!" Abbas pointed the cigar at Sora, chatter continued amongst the other agents. "And with ye knowledge of Wano, we'll-" "No." "What?!!" Abbas bit his cigar off, all of the residing agents glared at Sora from under their hats or behind their glasses. "I refuse, simple as that, pyuu." Sora uttered out. "How could ye possibly?! Are ye insane now?! Sora we ain't here for any jokes, we-" For a moment, Abbas turned around in order to yell at the many assassins, however, they were soon located elsewhere, past Sora and closer to the door, the latter closed his eyes. Everything seemed to go obscure, as if the lights and colors had been either blocked or turned off. Still, through this darkness surged steam and smoke, then, the figures of those cipher pol agents very roughly. Fhis fuming came out from varying parts of their bodies, particularly their hands and legs, not a surprise given the sheer speed at which they moved across the room, falling just slightly behind Abbas' reaction. However, throughout all of that darkness, only one color hadn't gone off. The red of Sora's bright eyes. Even though, they were closed. The holes and gashes that were supposed to swarm Sora's body were not there, they never even landed on him. More red gushed over the darkness, all the other colors came crashing in, the agents fell silent either towards the table, to a chair, or to the floor, almost like they were ragdolls. Before they tumbled down, Sora's body was met with a side kick from a small leg and got thrown through the entrance, causing a boom that pushed the bodies and all furniture further into the room. Sora didn't cough, didn't clench his teeth, didn't tigthen any of his muscles, even as his back seemingly crashed against the outer walls of the outside hall. He blinked, staring down at the wide-eyed forms of Minotrose and Artleia. "YA' THINK YA' CAN GO AND DO THAT?!!" Abbas' wide expression stood before Sora, the former coated both his arms in a deep layer of Busoshoku, evident by the sparks that came from it due to merely existing. Akin to a rain of spears, Abbas' pointed fingers jammed down over Sora's figure, creating several explosions of air, and... all of it landed, to the point Sora was seemingly pierced. Pillars of pressure sprout from Sora's back, sending several tremors throughout the building's structure, blood flew in-between them. Abbas gritted his teeth, eyes trembling as they observed Sora to remain completely static, not even bothering to change his expressions or move, not even a singler finger was lifted, not any eyebrow rising. How?! Sora's very blood soaked Abbas' hands, yet, he stood there without a care in the world. It was then that Abbas noticed it, though Sora's eyes were staring nowhere, they were a vibrant red in color. Instead of continuing to jab at him, Abbas opened his hands flat and performed a double palm strike, pushing himself off Sora. As he did that, he grinded his teeth yet again. "Done so soon? Pyuu," Sora mused, standing from the crater on the wall. That alone prompted Abbas to stare down at his hands, soaked in Sora's... Sora's... his eyes trembled. Abbas' fingers, upon close inspection, were shifted in angles they shouldn't have been, a dry gasp escaped out of his mouth. Minotrose and Artleia stepped in front of him, having not seen his condition. "He should have been as good as dead!!" Artleia entered her fighting position, "On your orders, Sir! Sir-" "GHHHHHHHH!" Abbas bit into his lips, kneeling down behind them. "H-How?! I was sure I was touching you," Both Artleia and Minotrose sweatted once they saw it, the bloody mess that were Abbas' hands. They all looked on ahead at Sora, as the dust began to clear off. There were indeed holes all throughout Sora's body, yet, their borders were made of wind, his eyes shone red once again. Inside those very holes, the wind wasn't still, rather, it rotated and possessed a myriad of teeth-like constructs, akin to saws. ... Category:Role-Plays Category:DamonDraco Category:Ash9876